What Lies Ahead
by raisethecolours
Summary: I loved you more than you could ever know. I loved you so much it hurt. I guess that's why, even though you had just betrayed me and ripped my heart into shreds, I took the blade for you. I couldn't bare to see you hurt..  Norrington/OC
1. Part 1

AN: None of the characters are mine except for Haley so far... reviews are appreciated- even criticism :) I dont know exactly where this is going but the thought bunny hopped into my head and so I wrote it down. tell me what you think!

**First Sight**

The cool air smells like salt

as the door opens

No one notices him come through the door

loud music and laughter

distracts them.

But I see him.

And I sit on my stool

hardly daring to move

as he sits down next to me.

He smells like whiskey and horses and

his face bears lines of pain beyond his years.

He pulls off his white wig,

revealing hair brown like bark.

'I suppose I won't be needing this anymore.'

he says.

He throws it down on the floor

disgusted.

He grabs my cup,

and drinks

til the bottom of the cup is visible.

But I don't notice.

All I can see is his eyes.

'Who are you?'

He asks.

It takes a moment for me

to understand that

he is talking to me.

'Haley' I stammer. 'And you?'

Then he stares at me

for a second.

His gaze bewitches me so

I almost forget where I am.

'I'm James.'

**The Drink**

I have lived in Tortuga

my whole life.

So if I am a master at anything

it would be the drink.

My mother, father, brothers

they drank and they partied.

I was the youngest

and they left me and

I stayed awake til well past morning.

Until they came home

weak and drunk

and passed out upon the floor.

I could see it in his eyes.

He looked as they had

His eyes became hazy and

I could feel him start to

drift away.

So I caught him

and took him

before the world could.

**Away**

I wanted to bring him somewhere safe

But I could not think straight.

My head was spinning

and I used all of my strength

to lift him up and away from the noise

His boots made thick lines in the dust

which kicked up around us

like little clouds

as we walked.

Home was where I took him.  
>My home.<p>

No one was there,

the door was unlocked

and mother's favorite gown lay

in the middle of the floor.

I took him upstairs,

to my room.

Where I set him on my bed

and washed his face

with a damp rag.

The window was closed.

I walked to open it

and then sat down

on a small purple cushion

watching him sleep until I too

drifted away into dreams.

**Dawn**

The sun cracks through

the open window

creating a jagged line of light

across his face.

The purple cushion

refuses to stop

itching my back

and though I try to quietly stand up

he wakes when I move

and his eyes scream confusion.

'Where am I?' he asks.

He sits bolt upright,

a hand rushing to his head.

I press my finger to my lips.

'Shh.' I say. 'It's okay. You're safe.'

He looks at me like I'm an angel, a ghost.

Something that isn't really there.

'I'm Haley.' I say,

trying to remind him

of the night before.

'Haley.' He says.

He seems to be calmer now.

He lays down

closes his eyes.

and sighs.

I should probably move

or at least do something.

But I stand there, silent.

All I can think of

is how good his voice sounded

saying my name.


	2. Part 2

**Past**

'Thank you.'

He says, as he washes his hands

in a bowl of warm water.

'I don't know

what would have happened

if you hadn't saved me.'

I look down

and pat my curly hair down

willing it to lie flat

for once.

'So,'

I clear my throat.

'What brings you to Tortuga anyway?'

The look on his face

makes me wish I hadn't

asked the question

in the first place.

'Complications.'

He says.

I ask him no more questions.

**Commodore**

I wish

I had something

more substantial to give him.

I look down at

the stale roll

that breaks our teeth

as we eat

and the fruits

which reek of alcohol

while we eat breakfast

and hastily stuff it into my mouth

wishing to remove it

from my sight.

He seems happy

to eat something solid

and eats the food

as if he was a beggar

who hasn't eaten for days.

Not for the first time

I try to look through the dirt

which covers his clothes

to see the man

he once was.

Shiny buckles and

blue cloth meet my eyes.

His commodore uniform

looks so out of place

in my home

where the flowers wilt

to nothing

and the fine gatherings

he must be used to

are nothing but

a man and a woman

eating breakfast together

at a wooden table.

**Thoughts of Tomorrow**

I have to understand

that even though

he may be

talking to me

like I'm a real person

like I'm not some idiot,

a daughter of a drunk

that it will not last.

Tomorrow,

when he leaves

to continue

sailing the world

he'll forget.

He'll forget

how I saved him

how we talked

he'll forget me.

And that's what hurts the most. 

The thought that

for today

I may be the light

that brought him

to safety

but tomorrow

I'll just be another grain of sand

in a sea of beautiful shells.

**Wind**

It brushes our face

as we walk

along the cliff

in Tortuga

and paints on us

words that want to be said.

I want to talk to him

but the words

get stuck in my mouth.

Is it the harsh gusts

of the wind

that's making his eyes water?

or is it thoughts of the past?

**She haunts**

It takes all of my strength

to ask him a question.

I'm afraid of

what the answer will be.

But I swallow.

Open my mouth

and the words come out.

'Who was she?'

I can tell from his face

that he was surprised

I had figured it out.

But it wasn't that hard

The glint of sadness

that was ever present

in his eyes

was clue enough.

'She… she'

The tone

of his voice

changes to despair.

'She was mine'

He said.

'We were.. one.'

He looks into his knees.

'And I lost her.

I let her go.'

He whispers her name

like its his last hope

for life.

A whisper

into the dark.

'Elizabeth.'


	3. Part 3

**Advice**

My mother always said,

that if someone

needed help

I should help them

only if I see

personal gain for me.

But as I see Him-

James-

sitting there,

verging tears,

I think.

Is there anything I gain

from helping him?

No.

Does it matter?

No.

It's resolute

and unyielding, the no.

So I wrap a blanket

around his shoulders,

and whisper softly.

'She was a fool,

not to have you.'

He looks at me for a second,

but I leave quickly, to fetch tea.

The sadness in his eyes,

breaking my heart.

**Well-oiled**

Tea, I think.

Get the tea and go back.

My hand is shaky

as I pour the hot liquid

and I spill a little

on my hand.

The welt is rising

on my palm,

but I erase the pain

and re-enter the room.

He still is huddled

in a blanket

but he hears the pot,

rattling steadily,

and turns to me.

I sit,

he drinks,

I drink,

there is silence.

It's been like this all day.

I have no courage to speak to him

And he has no want to speak to me.

The day

seems to wear on like this

a little machine

counting down the minutes

until he leaves me for good.

**On the Return**

When he speaks,

I jump in surprise.

He has startled me

out of my despaired thoughts.

'What is your family like?'

he asks.

'They must have been kind

to have raised such

a lovely daughter.'

My cheeks flush red

as I reply.

'No,' I say.

'They weren't kind to me.

I am the youngest,

the only daughter with three brothers.

My father is a brewer,

who drinks more than he sells.

My mum does nothing

and falls in love with anyone

she knows long enough

to have a drink with.

Its been that way since I was little.'

It is then that I realize I am shaking

and that there are tears

running tracks down my face.

And then he takes off

the blanket around his shoulder

and puts it down,

as if laying down his burden,

trying to forget her.

Trying to move on.

He grabs my hand

and I wince,

his harsh fingers having

pressed into my burn.

He sees my pain,

and turns over my hand,

spying the burn.

He lifts up my hand to his lips

and gently kisses it.

My heart is filled

with golden sunshine.


	4. Part 4

PART 4

**Amuse bouche**

It started out

with just a small kiss.

A tiny peck

on the palm.

Nothing more.

I thought

it was over.

I thought he was

just being nice.

But..

I felt him reach for more.

and that tiny kiss

became an appetizer

to an entrée of kisses.

My heart soared

to new heights.

Floating like

a bird upon the breeze.

And

then

it

all

falls

down.

**It's out**

All I can hear is screaming.

My ears ring with

the force of them.

Father, drunk

has stumbled upon me

and in his state

raises a dagger

to James.

My James,

my beautiful James.

My words bounce off my father.

'Please, father. Please.'

There's a glint in my father's eye

that I had never seen before

that I had never bothered to notice.

And that glint

seems to be willing

to take away

the one thing

that I ever wanted.

Its then that I step forward

and stare my father down.

'I'm leaving.'

I say.

It is all I say.

I grab James' hand,

and pull him

out the door

with me,

but not before

seeing my father

drop the knife

as if

it had suddenly

turned hot.

**Sounds like a cliché **

Sometimes

the best things

are small.

Like the way he holds my hand

after I storm out of

the only home

I've ever known.

It's small.

Indiscrete.

Passers-by pay no attention.

But that single touch

fills my chest

with such hope

that I walk further.

I don't know where I'm going.

I don't a lot of things.

What I do know is that

from now on

he'll be there for me.

**Doubt**

We spent that night under the stars.

No roof rested over our head,

but we lay on the beach

and let the smell of the sea

and the lull of the waves

take us off to sleep.

When my eyes opened,

I found him by my side.

He was staring at me,

with wide eyes,

and seemed

to be willing me awake.

'What?'

I asked.

'We can't stay here forever.'

he said.

'I know.' I said.

What was he saying?

'I mean, I can't stay here

forever.'

'Don't worry,

I'll find a place for us.'

I said.

His sigh speaks more than words.

'You doubt me.'

He doesn't deny it.

'Well, then James Norrington,

you don't know me well

at all.'

I ran my fingers

through his hair,

hoping with all hope

that I could find a place.

Then I stood up and

walked down to the water.

I threw a stone into the waves.

I couldn't lose him.

Not again,

not when I'd just found him.

Not when he'd just begun to forget her.

I threw another stone into the water.

I would find a place.

A place where we could live

together.

I tied my hair into a knot,

and washed the sand

off my hands in the waves.

**Prayer**

I have never been

that religious.

But I think it must be God

who found me

and showed me the way.

I thought it was

the sun

that led my footsteps

across the island of Tortuga,

that led me to the

small cottage.

Thought maybe

some subconscious part

of myself

knew that someone

had abandoned their home,

and led me straight to it.

I thought it was me,

or maybe just luck

when I entered through

the back door

and found food,

clothes, water.

Enough

for the both of us.

But then I understood.

It had nothing to do with me

He had helped me,

had been helping me.

So for the first time,

I knelt down.

Clasped my hands together

and whispered.

'Thank you.

thank you.'


	5. Part 5

**Life **

It's funny sometimes

how life is like

a jester-

playing tricks

and mind games on us all.

Life takes its toll

on the weak

and the paranoid.

but I think

that those people who

know

that life will never be

expectable

the people who

aren't afraid to be happy

because they don't think

that sadness will inevitably follow,

I think they're the ones

who learn the most

from life.

The people who

peek around corners

before walking

or are afraid to fall

in love

they are missing out.

But who am I?

Am I the mouse

scared of love

and happiness?

Or am I the lion

jumping into love

without a safety net?

And which is James?

I swallow the question

into the depths of my mind

but I know it will float to the surface

eventually.

**Inevitable**

I should have

seen it coming.

Looking back

I can't believe how

stupid I was.

How could I believe

that I could make it work?

Even in the perfect home,

with food, shelter

safety.

the love will never last.

My hands shake

by my side

and my feet move themselves

down a stone street,

carrying me

to some unknown destination

while my mind replays

the events of this morning

back in my mind.

**The Black Ship in the Bay**

He had woken up preoccupied.

a smile on his face

but confusion in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I had asked,

as I gazed at the perfection

of the scene spilled out before me.

He sighed, not exactly gently

which clued me in.

He only sighed like that

when he was thinking of

the past.

He turned to the window

and pointed out a ship

in the bay.

The ship was made of blackwood.

A deep, dark color

that had looked almost red in

the sunlight.

There was something

about that ship

that sent a shiver down my spine.

And something else

about that ship

that made me curious.

I wasn't sure

if I should be afraid or not.

I turned back

to James.

His eyes had remained

fixed and unmoving

on the black ship in the bay.

"That's Jack Sparrow's ship."

he said.

His lips were so still,

that if I hadn't recognized

his voice

I would of thought

someone else

had spoken.

"That's the ship that

ruined me."

Ice cold wind had seemed

to spill from

his lips

with his words.

"You are not ruined-"

I said,

but his chilly words

cut me off

like a blade.

"Yes I am!

Do you not see

how pathetic I am?"

I sat up straight

and my chest

felt hard.

"Pathetic?"

I said,

a sly coldness

edging itself

into my tongue,

on my words.

"Because you're with a peasant?

Because you've thrown

your old life away?

Am I not good enough for you?"

"No, no" he murmured,

but I was on fire.

"How can you sit there

and think that its pathetic

to live this life?

I've lived this way my whole life!

In fact this is the happiest

I've ever been!"

I paused, but he said nothing,

The air had felt

hot

around me.

I spoke again.

"You know what, James?

You are pathetic.

You hold on

to your past as if

your life depends on it.

James,

the past is done,

stop reliving it!

Your killing yourself!"

But his eyes had strayed to the window.

And then I uttered the words

I thought I would never say.

For the question had floated

back to the top again,

and this time it held the answer.

"I think you should go."

My words were cold,

cruel and formal.

unyieldingly honest.

His eyes flitted back to mine,

as if he couldn't believe

what he had just heard.

"Leave "

I said

He had no things to pack.

He was gone by the time I had

stood up.

He left nothing

but the smell of salt

and wet wood.

My eyes drifted back to the window,

and I stared at that black ship.

Then I slammed the window shut.

**Past Comes Alive**

My feet continued to lead me

on their own path.

I was back in town,

I knew that

but everything else in my mind

was stuck in the past

and didn't seem to care

that I was moving.

It was only when my feet stopped

in front of the local bar

that my head regained

its sense of self

and questioned my location.

I peered in the window,

wiping of the grime

so I could see through it.

I cursed at my feet silently.

There he stood,

wearing a dirty white wig

and holding a

half empty bottle

in one hand,

using his other

to fight off a horde

of angry, drunk men.

James,

my James.

Then he yelled

something unintelligible.

And I watched in slow motion

as a small man forced

a bottle

down on his head

where it crashed

and he sunk to the floor.

I gasped in shock,

my head spinning,

What were they doing to him?

They carried him outside,

one man grabbing him by the ankles,

the other by the wrists

and threw him, carelessly,

into a pig sty.

I wanted to run to him,

pick him up,

tell him I'm sorry

and to come back home,

so we could figure things out.

But as I was running

to his side,

I saw my father,

laughing, drunken,

with his arm slopped, lazily

around a woman

who was not my mother.

I gasped,

the air sucked out of my lungs.

What if he saw me?

I couldn't even think..

But then he got up

walking towards the bar

and I took my chance.

I leapt out of the shadows

towards James

only to discover that

someone else

had gotten there first.

A man,

bending over him.

but was it a man?

"James Norrington,"

he said,

the he who was actually a she.

How did she know his name?

"What has the world done to you?"


End file.
